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Ages. 1899. 1900. 1901. 1902. 1903, 1904. 1905, 1906. 1907. 1908.
Average.
1899-1908
1909.
0-5 — 1 — 341 2 1 1 1 1 —
5-15 I 2 I 3 3 2 I 3 3 2 2 3
15-25 2 3 2 5 7 5 3 3 3 8 4 3
25-35 8 6 8 8 5 10 11 7 6 6 8 10
35-45 19 32 33 29 43 43 22 35 39 41 34 27
45-55 63 79 63 75 75 61 74 90 64 63 71 79
55-65 85 92 76 103 95 84 95 110 95 112 95 96
65-75 72 58 75 70 83 90 92 74 12 93 81 94
75-85 18 27 27 27 34 22 25 38 27 39 28 34
85 & up-
wards 2 3 4 3 1 5 3 2 8 2 3 7
270 303 289 326 350 323 328 363 348 367 327 353
The diseases as usual proved more fatal to females than males, the deathrate
being 8.74 per 10,000 for the latter and 11.23 for the former.
In Table LXVI. the death-rates at the several ages are given, and it is remarkable
that whereas between the ages of 35 and 45 years the death-rate among
males was 3.22 and among females 8.34 per 10,000 living at that age, in the
next period (45-55) the death-rate is practically the same among males and
females, being 24.31 per 10,000 for males and 24.09 for females. At the next
period however (55-65), the death-rate among females rose to 46.42 per 10,000
as against 43.95 amongst males. When the figures for the succceding age
period (65-75) are examined, the mortality is found to be greatest among
males, and to reach the very high rate of 103.84 per 10,000, as against 76.22
among females. Among persons 75 and upwards, the rate was 54.38 per
10,000 among males and 114.35 among females. These rates are so high that
it is no wonder that many scientists are making every effort to discover some
remedy for these terrible diseases, and it is to be hoped that their work, which
enjoyed the support and encouragement of His late Majesty, King Edward VII.
and other great personages throughout the world, will meet, as it surely will
some day, with success. It would be sad, indeed, if no method of prevention
or cure were found for ailments which are increasing steadily among our people.
In the Report of the Medical Officer of Health for 1908 information was
given as to the progress of Cancer Research, and it is therefore not proposed
ta say anything further on the subject now.
Particulars of the several parts of the human system attacked with these
diseases are set forth in Table LXVII., and therein it will be noticed that among
women there were no less than 53 deaths from cancerous diseases of the uterus
and 35 from those of the breast, the majority of which did not occur until the
child-bearing age of life had been passed, for out of 88 deaths from these two
causes, only 15 occurred during that period.